The 2026 midterms aren’t over yet, but some Democrats are already looking ahead to the next cycle: the 2028 election, specifically the primaries and which state will vote and when. It may seem harmless, but tensions have already heated up between Nevada and South Carolina. It’s ridiculous, but let me get a drink first for this kind of blood sport that has racial overtones. For starters, South Carolina Democrats are claiming that if Nevada moves ahead in the order, it will be because they prioritize latino voters more (via NYT):
South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain if Nevada goes first before South Carolina in the primary calendar
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) July 22, 2026
“If Nevada gets elevated over South Carolina, it would be because of their Latino vote.”
“So you would then be telling Black voters that you matter… https://t.co/acryGa94vS pic.twitter.com/fTk0fePcvX
The dem infighting on early states is 👀
— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) July 23, 2026
🍿🍿🍿 https://t.co/E8DZngF9tO
South Carolina and Nevada have emerged as the two front-runners to begin the 2028 Democratic presidential nominating calendar, but their jockeying has grown acrimonious and pitted Black and Latino party leaders against each other, according to interviews with more than a dozen party officials involved in the discussions.
A powerful panel of 49 insiders of the Democratic National Committee is set to meet this week in Washington to sketch out the order of the early-state calendar. The full party body would then vote next month to finalize the choices.
The order of primary states is deeply consequential. Different states have different upsides and downsides for the party’s potential 2028 contenders — and require the constructing of different political coalitions. The calendar is likely to play a significant role in deciding who ultimately emerges as the next Democratic presidential nominee. And months of private lobbying, backroom discussions and brass-knuckle racial politics are bursting into the open on the eve of the gathering.
“It’s almost like we’re running against Nevada,” Christale Spain, the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said in an interview. “That’s what it feels like.”
“If Nevada gets elevated over South Carolina, it would be because of their Latino vote,” added Ms. Spain, who is Black. “So you would then be telling Black voters that you matter less than brown voters. And I refuse to believe that our party wants to send any type of message like that.”
Other new states are jockeying to jump into the influential early window, including Virginia, which also has a sizable Black population.
So, it’s a race war, got it? Sort of odd how the ‘diversity is our strength’ crowd gets into these tribal wars, huh?